Leader of the House of Lords

Question

Lord Jopling: To ask the Leader of the House when she last drew the attention of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries to the fact that several Departments have not answered Questions for Written Answer within ten working days; in particular (1) the Department of Health and Social Care, (2) the Home Office, and (3) the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: As Leader of the House, I take my responsibility to ensure all Ministers provide full, timely and accurate responses to Questions for Written Answers (QWAs) very seriously.I regularly remind Front Bench colleagues of their obligation to the House as stipulated in the Companion and of the importance of answering QWAs within the 10 day target. This has been raised regularly at Front Bench meetings and I have previously written to colleagues on the issue.My office works closely with all departments across Government to ensure prompt responses to all QWAs. This is a process that has been followed with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Department of Health and Social Care

Counselling

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the NHS England budget for relationship counselling in the latest available year.

Lord Kamall: This information is not held in the format requested as NHS England and NHS Improvement’s budgets are not allocated at the level of individual therapies. Individuals who are seen within Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services can expect to receive a course of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-recommended psychological therapy from an appropriately trained individual and to have their clinical outcomes monitored and reported. All National Health Service talking and psychological therapy services are expected to have capacity to offer couple therapy.

Gender Recognition: Hospital Wards

Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy for providing in-patient accommodation for trans women in NHS hospital wards in England; and what steps they are taking to protect trans women in hospital from potential discrimination.

Lord Kamall: NHS England and NHS Improvement’s current guidance concerning the placement of transgender people in hospital wards states that this should be done in accordance with their presentation, such as the way the person dresses and the pronouns they use. NHS England is reviewing this guidance and the Department will ensure that any revised guidance takes account of relevant equalities legislation.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Kamall on 15 March (HL6546), which (1) charities, and (2) stakeholders, were consulted by the Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, Dr Jenny Harries, with regard to (a) immunocompromised patients, and (2) the Living with Covid strategy.

Lord Kamall: The Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency has consulted with the Cabinet Office Disabilities and Health Charities Communications Forum. Those in attendance included:Age UK; Anthony Nolan; Blood Cancer UK; British Liver Trust; Business Disability Forum; Cancer Research UK; Carers UK; Diabetes UK; Epilepsy Action; Kidney Care UK; Macmillan Cancer Support; Mencap; MS Society; Parkinson's UK; Patients Association; Rare Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease Alliance; Rethink Mental Illness: Richmond Group; Scope; and Versus Arthritis. We have also met with a coalition of approximately 20 charities representing individuals who are immunosuppressed or are at higher risk from serious illness should they contract COVID-19. This included: Kidney Care UK; MS Society; British Liver Trust; Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance; Bowel Cancer UK; The Rare Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease Alliance; National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society; Blood Cancer UK; Crohn’s and Colitis UK; Muscular Dystrophy UK; Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation; Versus Arthritis; Age UK; Macmillan Cancer Support; Kidney Research UK; Scleroderma and Raynard’s UK Lupus UK; Anthony Nolan; Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis; British Liver Trust; Cystic Fibrosis Trust; and Leukaemia Care.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to meet charities supporting severely immunocompromised groups to discuss how they can be involved in (1) co-creating, and (2) disseminating, (a) communication, and (b) guidance, to people regarding how to safely manage their risk from COVID-19 beyond 1 April.

Lord Kamall: We have regular meetings with charities representing and supporting patients who are immunocompromised and immunosuppressed groups. The Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, Dr Jenny Harries, is the clinical lead for programmes supporting these patients and has met with charities at stakeholder engagement sessions.On 4 April 2022, updated online only guidance was issued for those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness if they become infected with COVID-19.

Department for Education

Schools: Playing Fields

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Berridge on 15 September 2020 (HL7666), how many school playing fields were sold in the years (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.

Baroness Barran: The number of school playing fields disposed of in 2020, either by way of sale or grant of a long lease was 21. The number of playing fields disposed of in 2021, either by way of sale or grant of a long lease was 14.Further disposals that meet specific criteria can be made under a General Consent Order (GCO). GCOs can be used for transactions that represent no net loss of playing field land to the school estate or where the loss is temporary. Disposals made under a GCO are not published by the department and are not included in the figures above.In instances of schools wishing to sell playing fields, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, requires applicants to demonstrate a sporting and/or playing benefit as part of any mitigation measures, and that any loss has been minimised both in quantum and quality of the land disposed of. No open school has been allowed to sell all its playing fields.The Secretary of State for Education is keen to protect school playing fields. Schools are only able to sell or otherwise dispose of playing fields when they can demonstrate to the Secretary of State that they have explored all possible alternatives to the disposal, and that the disposal does not adversely impact upon the school’s curriculum.The department periodically updates a playing field disposal list, accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-land-decisions-about-disposals.The next update to this will be in May 2022. The list was last updated in July 2021. The department is currently collating data for this update.

Ministry of Justice

Marriage: Ceremonies

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Nuffield Foundation report,When is a wedding not a marriage? Exploring non-legally binding ceremonies, published on 8 March; and, in particular, of the conclusion that wedding law reform is achievable and long overdue.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government notes the conclusion of the Nuffield Foundation’s report. The Government remains committed to assessing the case for more comprehensive and enduring reform to marriage law once the Law Commission has completed its fundamental review of the law in this area. The final report will take into account the findings of the Nuffield Foundation and is due in July. The report will support the Government in understanding what types of ceremonies are taking place, why they are taking place and what the demand for them is, and who conducts them, in order to consider the implications of changing the law on marriage on all groups.

National Probation Service for England and Wales

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many progression panels have been established in each National Probation Service division in each year since June 2019.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison or in the community. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan was first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations. The Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ has implemented active case management, which is directed towards ensuring that probation and prison staff comply with directions from Parole Board Panels in a timely fashion. Best practice ideals, based on an initiative that started in prisons in the East of England Region, were developed and rolled out for use in a number of prisons prior to the pandemic. The roll out was then unavoidably disrupted by the exceptional delivery models which had to be implemented on the grounds of public health. Progress of the best practice ideals will be reviewed as part of the wider action plan following consideration of the Justice Select Committee’s report and recommendations. Offenders subject to IPP sentences are eligible for electronic monitoring following release on licence, where considered necessary and proportionate by the Parole Board. The additional investment of £183m in the expansion of electronic monitoring will also increase the availability of electronic monitoring for IPP offenders. Those whose risk is linked to alcohol are eligible for alcohol monitoring on licence, which was introduced in Wales in November and will be rolled out to England this summer. IPP releases will also be eligible for a project targeting high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators, where they will have their whereabouts monitored using GPS tags to protect victims, and potential future victims, from further trauma. The project will begin in 2023 and we expect to tag around 3,500 offenders. HM Prison and Probation Service has developed a dataset and data dashboard, which is shared on a quarterly basis with Probation Regions and Prison Groups to support them in their efforts to monitor and manage their IPP populations, both in prisons and the community. The dashboard is still evolving and kept under review, as we identify new ways to capture additional key management information and present it in such a way as to be the most helpful to the operational line. The following table shows the number of  progression panels (lifers and IPPs) that have taken place in each Probation region by year since June 2019*: During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. Probation RegionThe number of  progression panels held (Lifers and IPPs) 01/06/2019 to 31/12/20192020202101/01/2022 to 22/03/2022TotalEast Midlands Region11446624123844East of England2247155541071,600Greater Manchester294472291361,093Kent Surrey Sussex Region129529426791,163London2365516291341,550National Security Division- *4 *9North East Region11742319633769North West Region298710447851,540South Central15627132879834South West111469197137914Wales17419715016537West Midlands Region3048685221261,820Yorkshire and The Humber170635422721,299Unknown Region3 *- *16Total2,3306,3224,40792913,988*Notes:1. Panels without a recorded outcome (from the point that an outcome was required to be recorded) were assumed to not have taken place.2. Due to probation restructures in 2020 and 2021, a small number of panels could not be assigned to a region. These are recorded as 'Unknown Region'.3. Disclosure control. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.4. Data sources and quality. The figures in these tables have been drawn from the Probation Case Management System, National Delius administrative, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress the National Probation Service has made in delivering improvements to the operational oversight of prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences,further to theJoint IPP Action Planpublishedby Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and Parole Board in June 2019.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison or in the community. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan was first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations. The Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ has implemented active case management, which is directed towards ensuring that probation and prison staff comply with directions from Parole Board Panels in a timely fashion. Best practice ideals, based on an initiative that started in prisons in the East of England Region, were developed and rolled out for use in a number of prisons prior to the pandemic. The roll out was then unavoidably disrupted by the exceptional delivery models which had to be implemented on the grounds of public health. Progress of the best practice ideals will be reviewed as part of the wider action plan following consideration of the Justice Select Committee’s report and recommendations. Offenders subject to IPP sentences are eligible for electronic monitoring following release on licence, where considered necessary and proportionate by the Parole Board. The additional investment of £183m in the expansion of electronic monitoring will also increase the availability of electronic monitoring for IPP offenders. Those whose risk is linked to alcohol are eligible for alcohol monitoring on licence, which was introduced in Wales in November and will be rolled out to England this summer. IPP releases will also be eligible for a project targeting high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators, where they will have their whereabouts monitored using GPS tags to protect victims, and potential future victims, from further trauma. The project will begin in 2023 and we expect to tag around 3,500 offenders. HM Prison and Probation Service has developed a dataset and data dashboard, which is shared on a quarterly basis with Probation Regions and Prison Groups to support them in their efforts to monitor and manage their IPP populations, both in prisons and the community. The dashboard is still evolving and kept under review, as we identify new ways to capture additional key management information and present it in such a way as to be the most helpful to the operational line. The following table shows the number of  progression panels (lifers and IPPs) that have taken place in each Probation region by year since June 2019*: During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. Probation RegionThe number of IPP progression panels held  (lifers and IPPs) 01/06/2019 to 31/12/20192020202101/01/2022 to 22/03/2022TotalEast Midlands Region11446624123844East of England2247155541071,600Greater Manchester294472291361,093Kent Surrey Sussex Region129529426791,163London2365516291341,550National Security Division- *4 *9North East Region11742319633769North West Region298710447851,540South Central15627132879834South West111469197137914Wales17419715016537West Midlands Region3048685221261,820Yorkshire and The Humber170635422721,299Unknown Region3 *- *16Total2,3306,3224,40792913,988*Notes:1. Panels without a recorded outcome (from the point that an outcome was required to be recorded) were assumed to not have taken place.2. Due to probation restructures in 2020 and 2021, a small number of panels could not be assigned to a region. These are recorded as 'Unknown Region'.3. Disclosure control. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.4. Data sources and quality. The figures in these tables have been drawn from the Probation Case Management System, National Delius administrative, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners' Release

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in increasing access to electronic monitoring for the release of prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, further to theJoint IPP Action Planpublishedby Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and Parole Board in June 2019.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison or in the community. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan was first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations. The Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ has implemented active case management, which is directed towards ensuring that probation and prison staff comply with directions from Parole Board Panels in a timely fashion. Best practice ideals, based on an initiative that started in prisons in the East of England Region, were developed and rolled out for use in a number of prisons prior to the pandemic. The roll out was then unavoidably disrupted by the exceptional delivery models which had to be implemented on the grounds of public health. Progress of the best practice ideals will be reviewed as part of the wider action plan following consideration of the Justice Select Committee’s report and recommendations. Offenders subject to IPP sentences are eligible for electronic monitoring following release on licence, where considered necessary and proportionate by the Parole Board. The additional investment of £183m in the expansion of electronic monitoring will also increase the availability of electronic monitoring for IPP offenders. Those whose risk is linked to alcohol are eligible for alcohol monitoring on licence, which was introduced in Wales in November and will be rolled out to England this summer. IPP releases will also be eligible for a project targeting high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators, where they will have their whereabouts monitored using GPS tags to protect victims, and potential future victims, from further trauma. The project will begin in 2023 and we expect to tag around 3,500 offenders. HM Prison and Probation Service has developed a dataset and data dashboard, which is shared on a quarterly basis with Probation Regions and Prison Groups to support them in their efforts to monitor and manage their IPP populations, both in prisons and the community. The dashboard is still evolving and kept under review, as we identify new ways to capture additional key management information and present it in such a way as to be the most helpful to the operational line. The following table shows the number of  progression panels (lifers and IPPs) that have taken place in each Probation region by year since June 2019*: During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. Probation RegionThe number of  progression panels held  (Lifers and IPPs) 01/06/2019 to 31/12/20192020202101/01/2022 to 22/03/2022TotalEast Midlands Region11446624123844East of England2247155541071,600Greater Manchester294472291361,093Kent Surrey Sussex Region129529426791,163London2365516291341,550National Security Division- *4 *9North East Region11742319633769North West Region298710447851,540South Central15627132879834South West111469197137914Wales17419715016537West Midlands Region3048685221261,820Yorkshire and The Humber170635422721,299Unknown Region3 *- *16Total2,3306,3224,40792913,988*Notes:1. Panels without a recorded outcome (from the point that an outcome was required to be recorded) were assumed to not have taken place.2. Due to probation restructures in 2020 and 2021, a small number of panels could not be assigned to a region. These are recorded as 'Unknown Region'.3. Disclosure control. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.4. Data sources and quality. The figures in these tables have been drawn from the Probation Case Management System, National Delius administrative, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons and Probation: Standards

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in establishing (1) an estate-wide set of non-mandatory best practice standards in prisons in England and Wales, and (2) best practice probation standards, further to the Joint IPP Action Plan publishedby Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and Parole Board in June 2019.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison or in the community. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan was first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations. The Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ has implemented active case management, which is directed towards ensuring that probation and prison staff comply with directions from Parole Board Panels in a timely fashion. Best practice ideals, based on an initiative that started in prisons in the East of England Region, were developed and rolled out for use in a number of prisons prior to the pandemic. The roll out was then unavoidably disrupted by the exceptional delivery models which had to be implemented on the grounds of public health. Progress of the best practice ideals will be reviewed as part of the wider action plan following consideration of the Justice Select Committee’s report and recommendations. Offenders subject to IPP sentences are eligible for electronic monitoring following release on licence, where considered necessary and proportionate by the Parole Board. The additional investment of £183m in the expansion of electronic monitoring will also increase the availability of electronic monitoring for IPP offenders. Those whose risk is linked to alcohol are eligible for alcohol monitoring on licence, which was introduced in Wales in November and will be rolled out to England this summer. IPP releases will also be eligible for a project targeting high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators, where they will have their whereabouts monitored using GPS tags to protect victims, and potential future victims, from further trauma. The project will begin in 2023 and we expect to tag around 3,500 offenders. HM Prison and Probation Service has developed a dataset and data dashboard, which is shared on a quarterly basis with Probation Regions and Prison Groups to support them in their efforts to monitor and manage their IPP populations, both in prisons and the community. The dashboard is still evolving and kept under review, as we identify new ways to capture additional key management information and present it in such a way as to be the most helpful to the operational line. The following table shows the number of  progression panels (lifers and IPPs) that have taken place in each Probation region by year since June 2019*: During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. Probation RegionThe number of  progression panels held  (Lifers and IPPs) 01/06/2019 to 31/12/20192020202101/01/2022 to 22/03/2022TotalEast Midlands Region11446624123844East of England2247155541071,600Greater Manchester294472291361,093Kent Surrey Sussex Region129529426791,163London2365516291341,550National Security Division- *4 *9North East Region11742319633769North West Region298710447851,540South Central15627132879834South West111469197137914Wales17419715016537West Midlands Region3048685221261,820Yorkshire and The Humber170635422721,299Unknown Region3 *- *16Total2,3306,3224,40792913,988*Notes:1. Panels without a recorded outcome (from the point that an outcome was required to be recorded) were assumed to not have taken place.2. Due to probation restructures in 2020 and 2021, a small number of panels could not be assigned to a region. These are recorded as 'Unknown Region'.3. Disclosure control. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.4. Data sources and quality. The figures in these tables have been drawn from the Probation Case Management System, National Delius administrative, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Sentences: East of England

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the East of England developed standards for working with prisoners subject to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences that are referenced in the Joint IPP Action Plan published by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and Parole Board in June 2019.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison or in the community. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan was first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations. The Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ has implemented active case management, which is directed towards ensuring that probation and prison staff comply with directions from Parole Board Panels in a timely fashion. Best practice ideals, based on an initiative that started in prisons in the East of England Region, were developed and rolled out for use in a number of prisons prior to the pandemic. The roll out was then unavoidably disrupted by the exceptional delivery models which had to be implemented on the grounds of public health. Progress of the best practice ideals will be reviewed as part of the wider action plan following consideration of the Justice Select Committee’s report and recommendations. Offenders subject to IPP sentences are eligible for electronic monitoring following release on licence, where considered necessary and proportionate by the Parole Board. The additional investment of £183m in the expansion of electronic monitoring will also increase the availability of electronic monitoring for IPP offenders. Those whose risk is linked to alcohol are eligible for alcohol monitoring on licence, which was introduced in Wales in November and will be rolled out to England this summer. IPP releases will also be eligible for a project targeting high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators, where they will have their whereabouts monitored using GPS tags to protect victims, and potential future victims, from further trauma. The project will begin in 2023 and we expect to tag around 3,500 offenders. HM Prison and Probation Service has developed a dataset and data dashboard, which is shared on a quarterly basis with Probation Regions and Prison Groups to support them in their efforts to monitor and manage their IPP populations, both in prisons and the community. The dashboard is still evolving and kept under review, as we identify new ways to capture additional key management information and present it in such a way as to be the most helpful to the operational line. The following table shows the number of  progression panels (lifers and IPPs) that have taken place in each Probation region by year since June 2019*: During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. Probation RegionThe number of  progression panels held  (Lifers and IPPs) 01/06/2019 to 31/12/20192020202101/01/2022 to 22/03/2022TotalEast Midlands Region11446624123844East of England2247155541071,600Greater Manchester294472291361,093Kent Surrey Sussex Region129529426791,163London2365516291341,550National Security Division- *4 *9North East Region11742319633769North West Region298710447851,540South Central15627132879834South West111469197137914Wales17419715016537West Midlands Region3048685221261,820Yorkshire and The Humber170635422721,299Unknown Region3 *- *16Total2,3306,3224,40792913,988*Notes:1. Panels without a recorded outcome (from the point that an outcome was required to be recorded) were assumed to not have taken place.2. Due to probation restructures in 2020 and 2021, a small number of panels could not be assigned to a region. These are recorded as 'Unknown Region'.3. Disclosure control. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.4. Data sources and quality. The figures in these tables have been drawn from the Probation Case Management System, National Delius administrative, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Sentences

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in establishing an active case management approach in public protection casework, further to the Joint IPP Action Plan published by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and the Parole Board in June 2019.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison or in the community. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan was first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations. The Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ has implemented active case management, which is directed towards ensuring that probation and prison staff comply with directions from Parole Board Panels in a timely fashion. Best practice ideals, based on an initiative that started in prisons in the East of England Region, were developed and rolled out for use in a number of prisons prior to the pandemic. The roll out was then unavoidably disrupted by the exceptional delivery models which had to be implemented on the grounds of public health. Progress of the best practice ideals will be reviewed as part of the wider action plan following consideration of the Justice Select Committee’s report and recommendations. Offenders subject to IPP sentences are eligible for electronic monitoring following release on licence, where considered necessary and proportionate by the Parole Board. The additional investment of £183m in the expansion of electronic monitoring will also increase the availability of electronic monitoring for IPP offenders. Those whose risk is linked to alcohol are eligible for alcohol monitoring on licence, which was introduced in Wales in November and will be rolled out to England this summer. IPP releases will also be eligible for a project targeting high-risk domestic abuse perpetrators, where they will have their whereabouts monitored using GPS tags to protect victims, and potential future victims, from further trauma. The project will begin in 2023 and we expect to tag around 3,500 offenders. HM Prison and Probation Service has developed a dataset and data dashboard, which is shared on a quarterly basis with Probation Regions and Prison Groups to support them in their efforts to monitor and manage their IPP populations, both in prisons and the community. The dashboard is still evolving and kept under review, as we identify new ways to capture additional key management information and present it in such a way as to be the most helpful to the operational line. The following table shows the number of  progression panels (lifers and IPPs) that have taken place in each Probation region by year since June 2019*: During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. Probation RegionThe number of  progression panels held  (Lifers and IPPs)01/06/2019 to 31/12/20192020202101/01/2022 to 22/03/2022TotalEast Midlands Region11446624123844East of England2247155541071,600Greater Manchester294472291361,093Kent Surrey Sussex Region129529426791,163London2365516291341,550National Security Division- *4 *9North East Region11742319633769North West Region298710447851,540South Central15627132879834South West111469197137914Wales17419715016537West Midlands Region3048685221261,820Yorkshire and The Humber170635422721,299Unknown Region3 *- *16Total2,3306,3224,40792913,988*Notes:1. Panels without a recorded outcome (from the point that an outcome was required to be recorded) were assumed to not have taken place.2. Due to probation restructures in 2020 and 2021, a small number of panels could not be assigned to a region. These are recorded as 'Unknown Region'.3. Disclosure control. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of one or two. This is to prevent the disclosure of individual information. Further disclosure control may be completed where this alone is not sufficient.4. Data sources and quality. The figures in these tables have been drawn from the Probation Case Management System, National Delius administrative, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Treasury

Married People: Tax Allowances

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the uptake figures for Marriage Allowance in the latest available year.

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the expenditure on Marriage Allowance in (1) 2018–19, (2) 2019–20, and (3) 2020–21.

Baroness Penn: The most recent estimates for the expenditure and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in the Non-structural tax reliefs publication[1], last updated in December 2021. The estimated expenditure for Marriage Allowance is £490 million in 2018-19, £540 million in 2019-20, and £560 million in 2020-21. The number of claimants was estimated at 2,020,000 in 2019-20. Estimates of the number of claimants are the latest available and reflect only successful claimants up to that point in time and not the anticipated full take up when all backdated claims have been made in future tax years (up to 4 years later). [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs

Department for Work and Pensions

Local Housing Allowance

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the rising cost of living, what plans they have, if any, to unfreeze Local Housing Allowance.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. The level of LHA rates is reviewed annually by the Secretary of State. In 2020-21, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we invested almost £1 billion in the LHA which meant 1.5 million households received an average increase of £600 more than they would otherwise have received. LHA rates have been maintained at their increased levels rather than reverting to previous rates which were much less generous. Those who need further financial help with their housing costs can seek assistance via the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) scheme. DHPs can be paid to those in receipt of qualifying housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rental housing costs. These payments are entirely at the discretion of the local authority and since 2011 the Government has provided almost £1.5 billion to local authorities for households who need additional support with their housing costs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Ligustrum Delavayanum

Baroness Fookes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reportedproblems faced by British horticultural firms unable to complete export orders to the EU involving the use of topiary created from Ligustrum delavayanum.

Baroness Fookes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to speed up the consideration by the European Commission of a dossier which has been prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Agency on the safety of Ligustrum delavayanum.

Lord Benyon: The UK has not been listed for export of all of the genera of plants/trees covered by the EU High Risk Plants legislation (Regulation 2018/2019). This has meant that since 1January 2021 these genera, which include Ligustrum, are subject to prohibitions pending individual risk assessments conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The UK made a case in February 2020 that a number of otherwise prohibited items, including the tree and shrub species regarded as High Risk Plants, should be recognized and exempt from such a prohibition through EU legislation, so as to allow imports to continue. This case was rejected by the Commission in late 2020. The rejection of this request means that we are required to use the same process for seeking listing which is followed by all non-EU countries. The listing process involves submitting technical dossiers to EFSA for individual species within each of the prohibited genera. Defra has been working closely with trade associations and individual businesses on priorities for such dossiers, including certain Ligustrum species. Once a dossier has been accepted by EFSA and their review commences, based on experience to date, it is likely to take in excess of 18 months for the EU commission to introduce new import conditions in legislation. There is no guarantee that the outcome of a review will be that trade can commence and only a small number of submissions made by third countries have resulted in new import conditions since the initiation of this process in 2019. In June 2021, in an attempt to speed up the listing process, we sought agreement from the EU Commission for a more streamlined approach be applied to the assessment of dossiers submitted by the UK to EFSA. This request was rejected and EFSA confirmed that requests from the UK will need to follow the same process which applies to other non-EU countries. Defra and Fera Science Ltd. have worked with the trade to develop a dossier for Ligustrum delavayanum and this was submitted to EFSA on 03/12/21. EFSA acknowledged receipt of the dossier in April 2022 but requested further information be provided. We believe the request for additional information goes beyond EFSA’s own guidelines and their approach to applications from other countries and we are challenging their request on the basis of fairness and proportionality. Unfortunately, now that the dossier is with EFSA we have no control over how long it will take them to consider it and we are therefore unable to give an indication of when the EU commission will make a final decision on this application. However, we will continue to press them and to seek regular updates on progress.

Fish Farming: Animal Welfare

Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce mandatory pre-stun slaughter for farmed fish in line with the protection afforded to terrestrial farmed animals.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations. Following publication of the Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 in January 2021, and as part of the Action Plan on Animal Welfare, we are currently considering a number of improvements that could be made to the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing. We have also asked the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) to update its 2014 Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing and look forward to receiving AWC’s updated advice later this year.

Home Office

Refugees: Ukraine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have in place to support refugees from Ukraine entering the UK; and what contingency arrangements they have in the event that there are a higher number of refugees arriving from that country than anticipated.

Lord Harrington of Watford: Local Authorities have a responsibility to provide wrap around care and support for beneficiaries arriving from the Ukraine. To assist in the support and integration LAs are being given £10500 per annum to ensure that this care is provided and this will go towards associated costs of schools and primary care needs. Separate to this is an offer of £350 per household to assist in the interim period whilst beneficiaries find work and housing to facilitate their new lives in the UK.There is no limit on the number of Ukrainian people who the UK will accept under its current schemes. The Home Office is keeping its humanitarian response under regular review.

Mike Veale

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 April (HL Deb col 2185), what information they have sought from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland about a date for starting the misconduct hearing against Mike Veale.

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 7 April (HL Deb col 2185), whether the 100-day limit on starting a misconduct hearing against Mike Veale has expired; and, if so, when it expired.

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 7 April (HL Deb col 2185), whether the legally qualified chair of the misconduct hearing against Mike Veale has extended the time-limit on starting the proceedings; and, if so, (1) why, and (2) for how long.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Independent Legally Qualified Chairs of police misconduct hearings have the discretion to extend the period of time in which the respective case is heard where they decide it is in the interests of justice to do so. The misconduct hearing arising from the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s investigation into alleged misconduct by former Chief Constable Mike Veale is a matter for the Police & Crime Commissioner for Cleveland (PCC). It is for the PCC to manage any actions arising from it.

Police: Misconduct

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many inquiries into allegations of police misconduct have been conducted in the last 12 months; and how many such investigations are under way now.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office does not currently hold misconduct data concerning the last 12 months, however we are currently developing a new stand-alone publication on police misconduct statistics. An initial statistical publication is due to be published in May 2022 and will include high level analysis of allegations of police misconduct recorded under the reformed disciplinary system and subsequent outcomes in the financial year 2020/21. A further publication containing 2021/2022 data is scheduled for later in the year. Exact publication dates will be preannounced in the Home Office Statistical release calender.  Police Misconduct data from previous years can be found in the Police Workforce Statistics, which are available on gov.uk.

Visas: Armed Conflict

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide special visas to people in war zones who have strong technology skills.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office’s response to people fleeing war zones is to bring into place humanitarian schemes which are more simple to administer and assist as many people in need as possible. These include the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Family Schemes and our resettlement programmes such as the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. People who enter the UK under these schemes have full work rights and it is therefore unnecessary to only support those with specific skills.Outside of these schemes we have a broad range of safe and legal routes which cater to those with specific tech skills including our Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Innovator and the new High Potential Individual and Scale-up routes which are open to all nationalities, including those who are refugees.A pilot in partnership with Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) to explore how we might support highly skilled displaced people to access a Skilled Worker visa to the UK is already underway.

Visas: Yemen

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many visa applications were made by Yemeni citizens to visit the UK in the past two years; how many were approved; how many were rejected; and how many were rejected but subsequently approved after appeal.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visa applications and outcomes by nationality in the Immigration Statistics Quartley release, which can be found on gov.uk.Data on the number of Visitor visa applications from Yemeni nationals, and data on Visitor visa grants and refusals to Yemeni nationals are published on the attached document.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to calendar year 2021.Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the summary tables of the attached. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on entry clearance visas.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the 'Research and statistice calender, which can also be found on gov.uk.The Home Office do not publish statistics on the number of grants after appeal. However, these statistics are kept under constant review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking account of user needs.Visa Summary (xlsx, 66.6KB)

Migrants and Refugees: Charities

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many voluntary refugee and migrant support centres have closed since March 2020; and what plans they have, if any,to support their reopening.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office does not hold information on voluntary refugee and migrant centres.

Refugees

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the (1) Welsh Government, and (2) Scottish Government, regardingthe wishes of those administrations to welcome refugees into their countries.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: This question can be best answered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), and should therefore be directed to that Department.The UK Government is working closely with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to promote and deliver the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. We have received a number of representations from them as part of this engagement.

Migrants: Ukraine

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide short-term accommodation for non-vulnerableUkrainian adults who have been granted leave to remain but have no access to public funds.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has ensured those fleeing Ukraine can find safety in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine. People applying under either of the schemes will have full and unrestricted access to benefits, healthcare, employment, and other support for up to three years. The government has also announced a Ukraine Extension Scheme, under which Ukrainians already in the UK, along with their family members, can apply for three years’ leave as well as full access to employment and public services. This will ensure they have the same rights and entitlements as those coming here through either the Ukraine Family Scheme or Homes for Ukraine route, including recourse to public funds.

Visas: Ukraine

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Home Office are keeping up with visa applications from those fleeing Ukraine.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system. We actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand, including from pressures relating to Ukraine. The Home Office has surged capacity to European countries including Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Moldova, Poland and Romania. This work has increased the total capacity of UKVI who can offer over 13,000 appointments to visa applicants across the region. The Home Office has made it easier to make applications to the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, as Ukrainians with valid passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.

Refugees

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the (1) Welsh Government, and (2) Scottish Government, regarding the wishes of those administrations to welcome refugees into their countries.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK Government is working closely with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to promote and deliver the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.Ministers and officials have been in direct contact with both the Scottish and Welsh Governments on this issue.

Visas: Ukraine

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to waive visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals for up to three years.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government keeps its approach on visas and biometrics under review, informed by the latest security advice.We are aware of cases where individuals who could pose a national security threat have attempted to enter the UK during crisis situations and checks which are part of the visa process have enabled us to identify these individuals as potential threats. Similarly checks undertaken as part of the visa application process can help safeguard vulnerable applicants such as those aged under 18.The Government therefore has no plans to waive visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals.

Refugees: Ukraine

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to impose a limit on the number of refugees arriving in the UK from Ukraine due to Russia's invasion of that country; and what support they plan to provide to any such refugees.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has set no limit on the number of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion who can come to the UK.In response to the invasion, the Government has set up the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.There is no limit to the number of individuals who can come to the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme, provided they are eligible, and no limit to the number of Ukrainians who can come to the UK having secured a sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether goods can be imported into Northern Ireland via Tariff Rate Quota Schemes under the trade deals which the UK has agreed with other countries since 1 January 2021.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: Traders importing into Northern Ireland can access UK TRQs by moving goods to Great Britain and clearing customs, then moving to Northern Ireland under the UK Trader Scheme, provided the goods moved meet wider requirements to be not “at risk,” as outlined on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-can-declare-goods-you-bring-into-northern-ireland-not-at-risk-of-moving-to-the-eu At present, EU regulation 2020/2170, passed unilaterally by the EU in December 2020, significantly limits the terms on which NI traders can access quotas under the UK’s new trade agreements directly. The UK put forward proposals to address this issue in our Command Paper of July 2021 and is continuing to press for solutions in negotiations with the EU on the Protocol.

Imports: Israel

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they require businesses importing from Israel to specify that their products do not originate in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The existing United Kingdom-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement requires that goods originating in Israel are declared as such upon import into the United Kingdom. Goods imported from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are not entitled to benefits from preferential trade and we are committed to maintaining that approach.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Question

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of rural communities’ access to reliable broadband on the fiscal wellbeing of businesses in those areas.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Gigabit-capable networks can deliver the broadband services that businesses will rely on for decades to come, paving the way for new developments in commerce, trade and society and bringing benefits including improved productivity, jobs and economic growthThe 2021 Evaluation of the Superfast Broadband Programme, which primarily delivered broadband upgrades to rural areas, found that the programme has increased the annual turnover of local businesses by £1.9 billion per year. The report also highlights that the most commonly reported impacts of improved connections amongst businesses were enhanced customer services (72 per cent), using internet connected devices (55 per cent), cloud-based computing (51 per cent) and promoting flexible working (50 per cent).The final evaluation of our Superfast Programme will be completed in 2022/23 and will add to our understanding of the economic impact of fast and reliable broadband for businesses operating in rural areas.